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Talk:Sean Graves/@comment-34786693-20180223012109
Thank You for sharing your story Sean, and especially for reaching out to survivors of Parkland and other mass shootings. Your recovery is an inspiration that helps many of us keep going. I too, have had nightmares of being shot and killed in a mass shooting and have to expect it can happen to me or anyone until gun laws are revised as in other countries, like Japan. It is important to have hope for the future as you say, until laws are changed. Hopefully, The March For Our Lives on March 14th will make that happen. The Denver march will be March 24th at the State Capitol from 2pm - 5pm. We also need to seek change in ourselves by properly addressing any anger we may have. Every mass shooter had anger of some sort about someone or something that got out of hand where they had to take it out on society, mostly at schools. I have been especially inspired by your classmate Rachel Joy Scott and Rachel's Challenge that was established by her family and friends to reach out to others, even those who hate us. That one young man in Georgia who went into his school with a shotgun was simply asked by one of the counselors, "What is wrong?" He replied, "Nobody loves me." She rightly responded, "Will you let me?" Fortunately, he did. We really can't hate anyone, only what we may all do in thought, word and deed. As a Christian Jungian, it's evident that our dreams and even our nightmares can help us in realizing our personal fears, difficulties or wounds and properly caring for them. Carl Jung saw this for himself and many of his patients, especially in recovering from any trauma. Otherwise, those wounds can fester and cause us to be angry at anyone, even ourselves. Mood swings, excessive use of sex, drugs, alcohol etc, are also red flags that something is wrong. Jung was also a combat psychiatrist in WW I and advanced treatment for what is now called PTSD, mainly with the help of dreams and nightmares. Our psyche tries to heal from harm we've suffered, not much different than how physical wounds try to heal. Working with the trauma we've experienced can help us to heal, as much as possible. Some wounds can never be healed, only cared for as best as possible. If we could talk with those who've harmed us, what would we say? Can we draw, paint or sculpt what we're feeling and experiencing, or re-enact the trauma we've suffered? Primitives have actually done this for centuries, especially in working with their dreams, the stuff of petroglyphs. The movie Cave Of Forgotten Dreams is a good example. But more importantly, can we pray for healing? It's biblical the role God can play, in every religion. The great mythologist Joseph Campbell eloquently described Jesus as The Hero With A Thousand Faces. Those of us who've had personal experiences of this Shaman of Israel have experienced a healing we wouldn't have otherwise known. Jesus loved most of all only to be made to suffer worst of all. Just as His Father didn't answer Him, we can't expect that God will answer us. And yet, God has answered our prayers when He became like us thru His Son Jesus. Who can worship and love a God who subjects us to evil but doesn't help us or suffer it Himself? Out of the Pantheon, Yahweh is the only one. This is the crux of Jung's Answer To Job and to all of us in our darkest moments. There is light in the darkness, as the Bible says. Jung's vision of a shining bright crucifix helped him to persevere thru a particular dark time in his life. It helped him immensely in helping his patients. Rachel, Kelly Fleming and Lauren Townsend had profound experiences of the light in us. We can have the same experiences if we seek this light in prayer and meditation. It's why I'm still here and haven't succumbed to the despair and anger that can destroy any of us. For many of us, meditation has been our medication. “Prayer is when we talk to God. Meditation is listening for God to speak to us.” Stay Strong Sean We're going to get thru this life, helping each other as best we can.